Alternatives to age
Modern, simple file encryption CLI
age ranks #4 of 11 in File encryption tools, with an Alt Score of 65. It is licensed under BSD-3-Clause, free from Free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Developers and technical users who need to encrypt files (backups, secrets, config) from the command line or in scripts, without managing a full PKI or key-server setup.
A CLI tool and Go library implementing a simple, standardized encryption format (age-encryption.org/v1, a C2SP spec). Public keys are short, explicit strings you can paste anywhere; you encrypt to one or more recipients and decrypt with a matching identity file. It supports passphrase-based encryption, existing SSH keys (ed25519/RSA) as recipients/identities, and a plugin system (e.g., hardware tokens via age-plugin-yubikey). There are no configuration options and no negotiation.
`age` encrypts a file to one or more recipient public keys (or a passphrase); the matching private key (identity) or passphrase is required to decrypt. It reads/writes via stdin/stdout so it composes with pipes like other UNIX tools, and the on-disk format is a fixed, versioned spec rather than something configurable per-invocation.
Why people leave age
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
AxCrypt is a file and folder encryption app that lets users right-click to encrypt individual files with AES-128/256, rather than mounting a container or volume.
BestCrypt Container Encryption, from Finnish vendor Jetico, creates mountable encrypted containers on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, similar in concept to VeraCrypt.
AES Crypt is a free, open-source utility (since 2005) for encrypting individual files with the AES-256 cipher, available as both a GUI (right-click integration) and a command-line tool on Windows, mac.
NordLocker, from the makers of NordVPN, creates password-protected encrypted folders (lockers) on the user's device using AES-256 and Argon2, with drag-and-drop file/folder encryption and optional end.
Tomb (the Crypto Undertaker), maintained by the Dyne.org Foundation since 2007, is a lightweight shell-script CLI that wraps Linux's cryptsetup/LUKS to create, open and manage encrypted volume files (.
DiskCryptor is an open-source Windows encryption tool that can encrypt entire disks, partitions, external drives and file-based containers using AES, Twofish and Serpent.
Feature comparison
How age compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
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| File encryption tools checklist | age | VeraCrypt | AxCrypt | BestCrypt Container Encryption | AES Crypt | Cryptomator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Container / volume encryption | ||||||
| Per-file encryption | ||||||
| Cloud-friendly (per-file sync) | ||||||
| Cross-platform | ||||||
| Open source & audited | ||||||
| Hidden volumes | ||||||
| Key files support | ||||||
| Password strength enforcement | ||||||
| CLI |
Every fact and feature listed for age is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Starts at Free verified 2026-07-08
age is a simple, modern and secure file encryption tool, format, and Go library.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FiloSottile/age/main/README.md -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux verified 2026-07-08
Installation available on: macOS, Linux (Alpine, Arch, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, NixOS, openSUSE, Ubuntu, Void), Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FiloSottile/age/main/README.md -
License BSD-3-Clause verified 2026-07-08
BSD 3-Clause License Copyright (c) 2019 The age Authors
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FiloSottile/age/main/LICENSE -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-08
age is a simple, modern and secure file encryption tool, format, and Go library.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FiloSottile/age/main/README.md -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
v1.3.1, released December 28, 2025
https://github.com/FiloSottile/age/releases -
Container / volume encryption No verified 2026-07-08
Per-file/stream only; no container mode.
age is a modern file encryption format with multiple pluggable recipients, and seekable streaming encryption.
https://github.com/C2SP/C2SP/blob/main/age.md -
Per-file encryption Yes verified 2026-07-08
age is a modern file encryption format with multiple pluggable recipients, and seekable streaming encryption.
https://github.com/C2SP/C2SP/blob/main/age.md -
Cloud-friendly (per-file sync) Yes verified 2026-07-08
Per-file encryption suits per-file cloud sync.
age is a simple, modern and secure file encryption tool, format, and Go library.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FiloSottile/age/main/README.md -
Cross-platform Yes verified 2026-07-08
Installation available on: macOS, Linux ... Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FiloSottile/age/main/README.md -
Open source & audited Partial verified 2026-07-08
OSS; no documented formal third-party audit.
BSD 3-Clause License
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FiloSottile/age/main/LICENSE -
Hidden volumes No verified 2026-07-08
No hidden-volume feature.
age is a modern file encryption format with multiple pluggable recipients, and seekable streaming encryption.
https://github.com/C2SP/C2SP/blob/main/age.md -
Key files support Yes verified 2026-07-08
-i/--identity: Specify identity files for decryption
https://github.com/FiloSottile/age/blob/main/doc/age.1.ronn -
Password strength enforcement No verified 2026-07-08
No strength enforcement documented.
-p/--passphrase: Interactive passphrase encryption
https://github.com/FiloSottile/age/blob/main/doc/age.1.ronn -
CLI Yes verified 2026-07-08
age — simple, modern, and secure file encryption
https://github.com/FiloSottile/age/blob/main/doc/age.1.ronn
FAQ
Yes. VeraCrypt, AxCrypt and Cryptomator have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
VeraCrypt, Cryptomator and Kryptor — every license claim links its source.